Automatic scale.



' PATBNTBD APR.16, 1907.

attuata! PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

I W. E. BURKS. AUTOMATIC SCALE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l wanton abbauen.;

. being weighed and indicating, in conjunction f cordance with any particular price per pound is in excess of the capacity ofl the dial, the

l the construction of a computing-scale having pacity of the scale is practically unlimited.

UNITED sTA'rgngs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BURKS, OF ASHLAND, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO V. V. ADKINS, OF ASHLAND, KENTUCKY.

AuTomATlo SCALE.

Patented April 1.6', 1907.

Application filed May 12, 1906. Serial No. 316,550.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that LIVILLIAM E. BURKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashland, in the county of Boyd and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Scales, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates generally to an improvement in scales, and particularly to a computing scale adapted to register the weight of any particular article and simultaneously indicate the price of that article.

y The main object of the present invention is a fixed scale-strip and a movable dial, the dial acting as a counterpoise to the article with the fixed scale structure, the weight of the article in pounds, andsimultaneously indicating the total cost of the article in acnoted on the fixed strip.

Another object of the'invention is to provide the scale-beaml with a holder -for the reception of additional weights to further vbal.- ance the beam when the article beingweighed fixed scale being arranged to indicate the total cost at varying amounts per pound of the excess weight of the article indicated by the additional counterpoise, whereby the ca- The inventionA will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularlyv to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a scale constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the dial-housing and dial, theforward portion of the scale being broken away. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the dial removed.4 Fig. 4 is, a broken transverse section through the dial and'housing, illustratin the dial-fulcrum.

Referring particular y to the drawings, wherein like reference-numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, my improved scale comprises a base 1 of any desired size and material and carrying at the forward end ahollow standard 2 and at the rear end a` scale-housing 3. Thehousing proper comprises plates 4 and 45, projecting in spaced parallel relation from the base, each being preferably. of thecontour illustrated to form, lin effect, a circular housing supported above the base, the peripheral edges of the plates 4 and 5 throughout the circular portion being connected by atransversely-arranged strip 6, whereby to practically inclose the dial supported within the circular portion of the housing. A The dial proper comprises a framework 7, upon which is fixed face-plates 8, preferably of circular form and of slightly less diameter than the interior diameter of the circularhousing. The frame 7 of thefdialis preferably enlarged, as at 9, to provide for normally maintaining the dial in a certain relative position, the dial being further provided with a counterweight or balance 10 yto offset the counteracting weight of the forwardly-proj ecting portion of the scalebeam',l as hereinafter described.

The scale isprovided with laterally-extendingA ,centrally arrangedV trunnions 11,

having the usual knife edges and arranged to seat in recesses 12, formed in the approximate faces of the plates 4 and 5, the lower walls-of said recesses being preferably providedwith notches 13 for the reception of the bearing edges of the trunnions. By this arrangement the dial is supported centrally within the circular housing and is capable of relatively free revolution therein, owing to the support described.

The-standard 2 is provided at the upper end .with forwardly-projecting armsl 14, .which extend upwardly at their forward ends and are terminally provided with bearingrecesses 15. The scale-beam proper, 16, is provided'with trunnions 17 of any approved type to seat within said bearing-recesses 15, and in rear of said trunnions-that is, intermediate the trunnions and dial-housingy the scale-beam is rovidedwith a .platformframe18,'designe to support the usual platform for the reception of articles to be weighed. The platform shown' is secured to the scale-beam directly above the standard 2 and is' provided with adepending rod 2O to fit within the'standard, the rod being provided, if desired, with a disk or head for loose contactv with the interior wall of the standard for the usual guiding effect. Thexscale-beam projects forwardly beyond the trunnionv 17 in the form of a bar 21, arranged for the reception of a counterbalance 22, which may. slidably engage the bar and be 'held in xed rela-- tion thereto by a set-screw or the like, the

counterbalance serving to assist -in lcounteracting the weight of the beam and connected parts in rear of the fulcrum. The forward end of the wall 2O is shaped in the usual manner to provide for the connection of the weight-holder 23, designed to receive any one of aseries of weights 24 in the. event the weight of the article is in excess of the capacity of the dial, as hereinafter described. The weights 24 are of the usual-scaley type and arranged, asis usual, for support from any ordinary frame, as 25,iixed to the base l. The scale-beam is provided lwith laterallyextending arms 26, arranged to support a tare-beam`27 on which is' slidably mounted a tare-weight 28 for the usual purpose. The rear of the scale-beam projects between the plates 4 and 5 of the housing below the circular portieri thereof and is connected to one end of an operating-rod 29 through the medium of a link 30,' the opposite end of the'rod 29 being connected to an eye 31 through the medium of a link 32, the eye projecting forwardly from a frame of the dial and being disposed above the fulcrum-points thereof,

`so that depression of the rear end of the scalebeam will tend to revolve the dial on its fulernia-support.' AForward of the rear end the scale-beam is connected to a rod 33, formed' at the lower end with a suitable diskhead to project within a receptacle 34, supported on the base l betweenthe plates 4 and 5 of the housing and adapted to contain a vquantity of fluid. This construction' provides, in effect, a dashot for vtherear end of the scale-beam, ten ing to minimize the movements of the dial under the influence of the scale-beam and to cause the partsl toquickly reach a fixed relative position after initial movement under the infiuence of an v article deposited on the platform.

So far as described the scale proper comprises a scale-beam fulcrumed upon a standard and connected at its rear endvto a dial, the article-su porting platform being conlnectedto the earn intermediate the dial and fulcrum. A weight-holder is provided forward of the fulcrum, so that weights deposited thereon will tend to counterbalance an article resting upon the platform. i

As the scale of the present invention is'of a computing nature, means must be provided whereby movement of the dial 1n addition to indicating in pounds and fractions thereof the weight of an article deposited upon the platform will also indicate the total cost of such article at any given price per pound. With this particular object in view the side plates 4 and 5 of the housing are formed with diametrically-arranged openings 35 and 36, preferably extending vertically of the housin thi upper edge of the circular portion of the housincr to a point slightly above the center thereof., while the lower opening is similarly each side of said diametric line.

lpoints or fingers 38.

with the former opening extending from.

arranged. in the lower portion of the circular housing. T he openings are of an appropriate width for the purpose desired with their longitudinal centers in exact alinement. with tlievertical diameter' of the circular portion of the. housing, so that one-half of the longitudinal extent of each opening is arranged on Secured to opposite walls of the upper and lower openings, respectively, is' what l term the fixed" scale 37, said scale being secured to that edge of the respective openings from which the dial travels in movement-that is, the rear edge of the upper opening and the forward edge ofthe lower opening. Each scale occupies approximately half the opening, so that the free edge ofthe scale-strip terminates in alinement with the vertical diameter of the circular portion of the housing herei-nbefore referred to, said free edge of' the strip being preferably formed with a series of indicating y The scale-strip is di-l vided into a number of vertical and horizontal columns by a series of longitudinal and transverse lines, the number of such columns being arranged to conform to the desired capaci ty of the scale, ashereinafter referred to. ln the particular instance shown each 'strip is divided into two vertically-arranged columns and eleven transversely-arranged columns. The first vertical column-thatis, the. column next the free edge of the strip-is arranged to indicate the value of one pound of material at prices regularly increasing in definite ratios, in the particular instance the lower space of the column indicating two cents per ound and each successive space upwardly in the same column increasing by two cents, so that said column indicates a price per pound varying from two cents to twenty-two cents. The similar column .in the lower scale contains a progressive series of price-marks beginning Av1. th the lowest price at the upper space and increasing throughout the column. In the instance ofthe lower strip the prices do not increase in regular proportion, being preferablyv ar-JJ ranged so th at, in conjunction with the upper strip, practically all of the usual prices per l pound are indicated. The second vertical columnl of each strip bears a definite relation to, the prices of the first column of the strip, indicating in their respective spaces the price of aparticular number of pound s-in the present instance five-based upon the price. per pound indicated in the transversely-alined space of the first column, so that any particular series of spaces transverse the scale-strip will indicate in the first column the price of onel pound and in the second column the cost of five pounds at said price. The fingers 38 register, of course, with the respective transversely-arranged columns, serving as an `indicator to direct the attention of the user to. the particular column.

roo

ISO

.series of radially-arranged columns. `The surface of each plate is provided with a line 39, extending dia'metrically of the face and so positioned on the late that when the dial Yis in normal equilibrium said mark will aline with the free edges of'the res ective fixed scale-strips. Theface of tie dial is dividedby a-series of concentrically-arranged lines into a series of annular spaces 40, and bya series of radially-projecting lines into a series of radially-arranged columns, said radial lines dividing the annular spaces to provide a seriesl of regularly-disposed spaces. The annular spaces provided y the concentric lines are e ual vin width with the transversely-'dispose columns of the scale-strip and are disposed so as to respectively register with sald columns. The annular space 41 between the periphery of the facelate 8 and the first concentric line of said p ate isA suitably marked to indicate pounds and fractions of pounds progressing regularly from said diametric line 39 throughout said surface of the dial-plate. The marks'indi'cating the pounds are disposed in alinement with the radial divisions hereinbeforereferred to, so that any number of said pound-marks may be caused in the movement `of the dial to register with the free edge of the fixed scale, andy thereby indicate a certain number of ounds .supported on the platform, as will) hereinafter appear. Each of the annular spaces40 are marked to indicate price-marks, the particular symbol beinglin radial alinement with lany one of the pound-marks on the dial, indicating theprice of the number of poundsat a price per ound noted in the .pound-price space on the ed scale registering with the articular yannular space on the dial. Thus,4 or example, the annular space on the dial registering with the pound-price` column on: tllie fixed scalebe'aringithe price-mark 22 will have in radial alinement with each of the poundmarks on the dial a' rice amount correspending to the particu ar number of pounds at twenty-two cents per-pound. This ar-v rangement of the annular and radial spaces is similar throughout the face of the dlal, so that the user of the scale, knowing the price per pound at which the article is to be sold,

can at once determine the total cost of the article being weighed by consulting the price-mark exposed on the dial-surface in alinementwit the articular pound'- rice space on the fixed sca e. The scale-dia will of course indicate 'at the same time the' number of pounds 'o'r fractions thereof and the ltotal cost of said pounds at any price er pound indicated upon the fixed scale; fiut as said dial is' of necessity limited in its capacity provision is made whereby -additional counterpoi'se may be used with equal facility. For example, assuming the capacity ofthe dial is to be limited to five pounds, as shown,

and the article to be weighed should exceed this amount, in'this event. a five-pound poise 24 is placed upon the holder 22, so that the article will move the dial to indicate only the weight of such article in excess of five pounds. Determining on the dial the value of'such excess weight the user adds thereto the amount noted in the second column of the fixed scale, which is the4 value of five pounds at a particular rice per pound, as previouslydescribed. y thus adding the amounts indicated in the five-pound column and on thedial at the proper points in accordance with the rice per pound'the cntire cost of the artic e is quickly and readily determined.

It is of course (to be understood that the fixed scale may contain any desiredl number of vertically-arranged columns, indicating a multiple of the pound-price column, and that said pound-price column may, if preferred, be arranged to indicate any number of varying prices, so that practically any amount of material may be weighed u on the scaleand its total cost rice quickly etermined in the manner state Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is# .1. A computing-scale comprising ascalebeam, a platform supported thereby, a dialcasing, a dial rotatably supported within the casing and comprisincr face-plates and a framework upon whic saidface-plates are secured, a portion of said framework being enlarged to'provide a counterbalance for the' dial,` and a connection between the scalebeam and framework.` v

2. yA computing-scale comprising a scalebeam, a platform supported thereby, a dialcasing, a dial rotatably supported within the casing and comprising face-plates and a framework upon which said face-plates are secured, a portion of said framework being enlarged to provide a countcrbalancc for the dial,and a'series of connected links providing a flexible connection between the scalebeam and framework, one end of said connection being secured to the adjacent end of the scale-beam and the opposite end thereof secured to the framework above the support of the latter.

3. A computing-scale comprising a scalebeam, a platform supported thereby, a dialcasing, a dial rotatably supported withinthe casing and comprising face-plates 'and a framework upon'which said face-plates are secured, a portion of said framework being enlarged to provide a counterbalance for the dial, and a series of connected links providing a flexible connection between the scale-beam and framework, one end of said connection lbeing secured to the adjacent fend of the scale-beam and the opposite end thereof see lcured to 'the' framework above `the support of the latter, the face-plates of the dial being divided above and below the center into a series of radially-disposed columns, and a casing being formed with sight-openings to permit the exposure of a predetermined number of said columns above and below the center 0f the casing in any position ofv theA 4. A computing-scale comprising a scale beam, a platform supported thereby, a dialcasing, a dial rotatably supported within the y casing and comprising face -plates and a framework upon which said face-plateslare secured, a portion ofl said framework being enlarged to provide a counterbalance vfor the dial, and a series of 'connected links providing a flexible connection between the scaleo beam and framework, one end of said connection being secured to the adjacent end of thev scale-beam and the opposite end thereof secured to the frameworkabove the support of the latter, the rface-plates of the dial being divided above and below the center into a series of radially-disposed columns, and a `casing being formed with sight-openings to permit the exposure of a predetermined number of said columns above and below the center of the casing in any position of the dial, the opposing edges of the respective sight-openings being provided with fixed, scale-stri s formed on their relatively free edges wit a series of indicating-numbers. 

